← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Robbie
Thread ID: 6644 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2003-05-14
2003-05-14 01:30 | User Profile
:afro:
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Legislation requiring wrapped drinking straws in restaurants died Thursday in the House, starting a fight between the bill's sponsor and the colleague who killed the measure.
Rep. Leon Howard's bill had won second reading, but Rep. John Graham Altman worked to defeat the bill on third reading - a tactic seldom employed in the House.
As the bill died, Howard, a black Columbia Democrat, charged the white Charleston Republican's desk, calling him a "racist bastard." A crowd formed and Howard challenged Altman to "step outside" before House Sergeant at Arms Mitch Dorman stepped in.
Howard said Altman's move against the bill was part of a disturbing pattern of blocking legislation from black lawmakers
[url=http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestat...cal/5826614.htm]http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestat...cal/5826614.htm[/url]
2003-05-14 04:15 | User Profile
Originally posted by Robbie@May 13 2003, 21:30 ** :afro:
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Legislation requiring wrapped drinking straws in restaurants died Thursday in the House, starting a fight between the bill's sponsor and the colleague who killed the measure.
Rep. Leon Howard's bill had won second reading, but Rep. John Graham Altman worked to defeat the bill on third reading - a tactic seldom employed in the House.
As the bill died, Howard, a black Columbia Democrat, charged the white Charleston Republican's desk, calling him a "racist bastard." A crowd formed and Howard challenged Altman to "step outside" before House Sergeant at Arms Mitch Dorman stepped in.
Howard said Altman's move against the bill was part of a disturbing pattern of blocking legislation from black lawmakers
[url=http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestat...cal/5826614.htm]http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestat...cal/5826614.htm[/url] **
Chalk this up to another shining moment in Black History, to go along with il ragno's thread on the subject. In this case...it was a Black politician who was the inventor of the idea of forcing restaurants to provide wrapped drinking straws. What would we ever have done without him?
And of course this happens in my state.